The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
"Christ as the Good Shepherd," 5th century mosaic, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna
“Christ as the Good Shepherd” is but one of several mosaics adorning the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy. Both the mausoleum and the mosaic date from the fifth century A.D. Placidia, a Christian and the consort of Emperor Constantius III, was involved in the building and restoration of various churches throughout her period of influence.
The image of the good shepherd was common in the Roman catacombs of earlier centuries, but there are important developments to be seen in this version. Instead of being shown as a typical countryman, this Good Shepherd has a large golden halo, wears a royal purple mantle over a golden tunic, and holds a tall cross. On either side of him are two groups of three sheep, who look peaceful and gaze up at their Shepherd. Christ tenderly touches the nose of one of them.
Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year B)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” So our Lord describes Himself in this week’s Gospel reading (from John 10:11-18). Jesus declares himself not to be like a shepherd, or merely a good shepherd, but to be the Good Shepherd who willingly dies for His sheep. The psalmist, himself a shepherd, recognized in his day the Savior’s great love and care for him: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (from Psalm 23). Peter and John proclaimed the resurrected Christ before the Jewish leaders by declaring that “this Jesus” who laid down His life had taken it up again as He had promised and that “there is salvation in no one else” (from Acts 4:1-12). Jesus’ death is nothing else than love itself, as John wrote to his fellow believers, and His action is the basis of our love for each other. “[H]e lay down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers…let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (from 1 John 3:16-24).
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
This hymn, penned by Henry W. Baker and first published in Hymns Ancient and Modern (London: 1868), is a metrical version of the twenty-third psalm. Interestingly, the hymn writer incorporates imagery from the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7) into the third verse. This addition further emphasizes the Shepherd’s goodness by comparing it to the writer’s own foolish, sinful wanderings. The tune is ST. COLUMBA, an ancient Irish melody.
The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
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Filed under: Easter , Church Year, Easter, Hymns
